Global warming is the result of an increase in the earth’s average surface temperature and its oceans due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane released by the burning of fossil fuels.
lobal warming is something you’ve heard for years — and it’s real despite what sceptics hold forth about it. Let’s first understand what global warming is before delving into the evidence that proves it’s real.
WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?
In simple words, global warming is the result of an increase in the earth’s average surface temperature and its oceans due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane released by the burning of fossil fuels. In fact, these greenhouse gases absorb heat and are indispensable to the existence of human life on earth.
Global warming has emerged as one of the biggest environmental issues today. The increased use of non-renewable fuels aka fossil fuels, which include coal, oil, and natural gas, over the last few decades has resulted in the degradation of our environment. Global warming, climate change, extinction of wildlife, ozone depletion, to name a few, are major causes of modern-day environmental issues.
These natural causes are too insignificant to explain the rapid warming of the earth seen in recent decades.
It may be quite a task to get one’s facts straight around global warming in the midst of contrarian views cloaking reality.
Here are ten facts, right on your platter, that global warming is happening and real:
1. Scientific consensus worldwide
Scientists worldwide highlight the consensus on climate change primarily as a result of human-caused activity that releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
2. UN IPCC declaration
IPCC declared: “Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal.”
3. 2019 was the second warmest year on record
According to NASA, average global temperatures in 2019 were 1.8 degrees F (0.98 degrees C) warmer than the 20th-century average.
4. Temperature of the troposphere is increasing
The lower layer of the atmosphere called the troposphere, where planes fly is warming which evidence the human activity in global warming.
5. Rising humidity causes more warming
Water vapour is a greenhouse gas. Higher levels of water vapour in the air during the summer season cause additional warming.
6. Sea level rise
Higher seawater temperatures cause thermal expansion of water. According to NASA, the current rate of sea rise is 0.13 in/year which indicates the rise is accelerating.
7. Sea Surface getting warmer
During the past three decades, the surface temperature of the sea has been higher since the first recorded in 1880.
8. Arctic sea ice is decreasing
The area covered by sea ice has been getting smaller every year, with an average fall of 3.2% per decade.
9. Average Temperature has risen
The average global temperature has increased by 1.4-Fahrenheit degrees.
10. Two hottest decades of the 20th century
As per climate studies, the last 20 years of the 20th century have been hottest in the past 400 years.
Article Credit: news18